How to Create Animated YouTube Shorts Using AI in 2026: Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial

Your animated short's foundation is the script or joke that drives the entire video [0:25-0:38]. ChatGPT serves as your scriptwriting assistant, capable of producing humor tailored to your channel's niche. For joke-based animation channels, this tool eliminates the need for manual joke writing while maintaining consistency in quality and style.

Open ChatGPT in your web browser by navigating to chat.openai.com or launching the ChatGPT application. Sign in to your account or create one if you haven't already. The free version of ChatGPT is sufficient for this purpose, though paid versions offer faster response times.

Enter a prompt requesting a funny joke from ChatGPT. Be specific about the type of humor you want. For example, type: "Write a short, funny joke suitable for a 15-second animation video" or "Create a clean, family-friendly joke with a clear setup and punchline."

Wait for ChatGPT to generate your joke, which typically takes only a few seconds. Review the generated content to ensure it fits your channel's style and is appropriate for your target audience. If the joke doesn't meet your standards, ask ChatGPT to generate alternatives or refine the humor style.

Copy the entire joke text that ChatGPT provides. Select the text with your cursor, then press Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac). This copied text becomes the foundation for your next step.

Convert your script into a natural-sounding voiceover using Lovo.ai [0:40-1:19]. This AI voice generation platform offers multiple voice options that match different character types and animation styles. The quality of AI voices has improved dramatically, making them virtually indistinguishable from human narration for short-form content.

Navigate to Lovo.ai by entering "lovo.ai" in your browser's address bar. Create an account or sign in if you already have one. Lovo.ai offers a free tier that allows you to generate voiceovers with certain limitations, which is sufficient for starting your channel.

Locate the text input field on the Lovo.ai interface—typically prominently displayed on the main dashboard or project creation page. Paste your joke from ChatGPT directly into this field using Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac).

Browse through available voice options by clicking on different voice previews. Lovo.ai provides numerous voice profiles across various accents, genders, and age ranges. Listen to sample clips of different voices by clicking the play button next to each option.

Select a voice that matches the character or tone you want for your animation. Consider the joke's content, your target audience, and the personality you want to convey. Upbeat jokes work better with energetic voices, while dry humor suits more monotone delivery.

Click the Render button to generate your voiceover. AI processing typically takes between 10-30 seconds depending on text length. Preview the generated audio once complete to ensure proper pronunciation and timing.

Export your voiceover file by clicking the export or download button [after render completes]. Save the file to a location where you can easily find it, such as a dedicated project folder. The file will typically be in MP3 or WAV format, both of which work with Adobe Express.

With your voiceover ready, move to the animation creation phase using Adobe Express [1:22-1:29]. Adobe Express offers a beta feature called "Animate from Audio" that automatically synchronizes character mouth movements with your voiceover. This technology dramatically simplifies the animation process, eliminating the need for manual lip-syncing or advanced animation skills.

Open your web browser and type "express.adobe.com" into the address bar. Press Enter to navigate to the Adobe Express homepage. You should see various creative tools and templates displayed on the landing page.

Create an Adobe account if you don't already have one, or sign in with your existing Adobe ID. Adobe Express offers a free tier with access to the Animate from Audio feature. You may also sign in using Google, Facebook, or Apple authentication if you prefer.

Locate the Animate from Audio tool within Adobe Express. This beta feature may be found in the tools menu or featured on the homepage. The video specifically references this as a beta version, indicating it's a newer feature that Adobe is actively developing.

Character selection determines the visual personality of your animated short [1:33-1:40]. Adobe Express provides pre-made character options that eliminate the need for custom character design. Choosing a character that aligns with your joke's context enhances viewer engagement and helps establish brand consistency across your videos.

Browse through the available character options in the Adobe Express interface. The platform displays multiple character designs with different appearances, styles, and personalities. These characters typically include various ages, styles, and visual aesthetics to match different content types.

Click on different characters to preview how they appear. Consider how each character's appearance relates to your joke's content and your overall channel theme. For consistency, many successful channels use the same character across multiple videos to build recognition.

Select the character that best matches your joke and target audience. Click on your chosen character to confirm the selection. The interface should visually indicate which character is currently selected for your animation project.

Background selection establishes the visual context and environment for your animated character [1:42-1:48]. The right background enhances storytelling and creates visual interest without distracting from the character and dialogue. Adobe Express provides both preset backgrounds and custom upload options to accommodate different creative visions.

Review the preset background options displayed in the Adobe Express interface. These backgrounds typically include various settings like outdoor scenes, interior rooms, abstract patterns, and solid colors. Each background option creates a different mood and context for your animation.

Click through different background options to preview how they look with your selected character. Consider whether the background complements or clashes with your character design. The background should enhance visibility of your character rather than creating visual confusion.

Upload a custom background if the preset options don't meet your needs. Look for the upload button or custom background option in the interface. Click this option to browse your computer's files and select an image to use as your background.

Choose a background that supports your joke's context without overwhelming the character. For joke-based content, simpler backgrounds often work better because they keep viewer attention focused on the character and dialogue.

Setting the correct video dimensions ensures your content displays properly on YouTube Shorts [1:48-1:54]. YouTube Shorts requires vertical video in a 9:16 aspect ratio to display full-screen on mobile devices. Choosing the wrong dimensions will result in your video appearing with black bars or being cropped incorrectly.

Locate the size or dimension settings within the Adobe Express interface. This option determines the aspect ratio and resolution of your final video output. The size selector typically displays common format options like square (1:1), landscape (16:9), and portrait (9:16).

Click on the size selection menu to view available dimension options. Adobe Express should present several preset sizes optimized for different social media platforms. Look specifically for options labeled for stories, reels, or vertical video formats.

Select the 9:16 aspect ratio option, which the video specifically identifies as "the story side." This vertical format is essential for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, and other short-form vertical video platforms. The 9:16 ratio creates a tall, narrow video that fills mobile screens completely.

Verify that your character and background elements still look properly composed in the vertical format before proceeding.

Adding your voiceover connects the audio narrative to the visual animation [1:54-2:02]. Adobe Express's Animate from Audio feature analyzes your voiceover and automatically generates matching lip movements for your character. This synchronization process happens automatically, eliminating hours of manual animation work.

Look for the audio upload option in the Adobe Express interface. The platform provides two options: recording audio directly within the application or uploading a pre-recorded file. Since you've already created your voiceover with Lovo.ai, you'll use the upload option.

Click the upload button to open your computer's file browser. Navigate to the folder where you saved your Lovo.ai voiceover file. Select the audio file you exported earlier and click Open to import it into Adobe Express.

Wait for the file to upload, which typically takes only a few seconds depending on your internet connection speed. Adobe Express will display a progress indicator or confirmation message when the upload completes. The audio waveform may appear in the interface showing the audio's duration and structure.

Allow Adobe Express to process your audio and generate the animation. The video mentions this "takes a few moments for the animation to be ready." During this processing time, the AI analyzes your voiceover's phonemes and timing to create synchronized mouth movements and subtle character animations.

Once Adobe Express completes the animation processing, export your final video file [2:06-2:11]. The download process saves your animation to your computer in a format suitable for uploading to YouTube. This final video combines your script, voiceover, character animation, and background into a single, ready-to-publish file.

Wait for Adobe Express to finish processing your animation. The interface will indicate when the animation is complete and ready for download. This processing time varies based on video length but typically takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes for short-form content.

Click the Download button that appears after processing completes. Adobe Express will prepare your video file for export, which may take an additional few seconds. The platform typically exports videos in MP4 format, which is compatible with all major video platforms.

Choose a save location on your computer when the download dialog appears. Create a dedicated folder for your YouTube Shorts content to keep your projects organized. Give your file a descriptive name that helps you identify the content later.

Wait for the download to complete before closing Adobe Express. Depending on your internet connection and video length, downloads typically finish within seconds. Verify the file downloaded correctly by checking your download folder and confirming the file size is reasonable.

Publish your animation to YouTube as a Short as the final step [2:11-2:26]. Proper upload configuration ensures YouTube categorizes your video correctly and maximizes its discoverability. The upload process includes selecting your video file, adding metadata like titles and tags, and choosing appropriate settings.

Navigate to YouTube and sign in to your channel. Click the camera icon with a plus sign in the top-right corner of the YouTube interface. Select Upload video from the dropdown menu to begin the upload process.

Click SELECT FILES and navigate to where you saved your animation. Select your video file and click Open to begin uploading. YouTube will display a progress bar showing the upload status, which typically completes within 1-3 minutes for short videos.

Create a compelling title for your video while it uploads. The video specifically recommends using the "#joke" hashtag directly in your title. For example, your title might be: "Why Don't Scientists Trust Atoms? #joke" or "Hilarious Construction Joke #joke That Will Make You Laugh."

Add relevant tags to help YouTube understand your content. The video recommends using keywordtool.io to find the best tags for your content. Navigate to keywordtool.io in a new browser tab, search for terms related to your content like "funny jokes" or "animated shorts," and copy the suggested tags.

Paste the tags you gathered from keywordtool.io into YouTube's tags field. Include tags related to jokes, animation, shorts, and any specific joke categories your content covers. Good tags might include: animated jokes, funny shorts, AI animation, short jokes, comedy animation.

Click the Publish button to make your video live on YouTube. YouTube will process your video, which can take several minutes to several hours depending on length and platform load. Once processing completes, your video will be publicly viewable and eligible to appear in YouTube Shorts feeds.